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Cadillac may be an unlikely exhibitor for a mobile conference, but it is using CTIA as an opportunity to unveil the Cadillac User Experience (CUE). CUE is its new car infotainment system that will debut next year, first in the XTS and later in the ATS, before spreading to the company's entire line. It combines an eight-inch capacitive multitouch LCD and haptic feedback with proximity sensors for a more rewarding user experience. Touch isn't the only input that Cadillac is quite proud of, as CUE also includes voice recognition technology from Nuance. This means users should be able to interact with their phone and car stereo without ever taking their eyes off the road.

Gallery: Cadillac CUE | 10 Photos

Remarkably, CUE has ties to the Linux Foundation and it is based on the namesake operating system. It's built on a tri-core ARM 11 CPU that simultaneously chews through 3D navigation maps and displays BluRay in the backseat with aplomb. Cadillac tells us that it has been working on this system for nearly two years, which supports Bluetooth 3.0, and also adds connectivity with two USB ports and an SD card slot. The folks at Caddy also hinted that more third-party apps will eventually be part of the story, but those details will be revealed further down the road. That said, the CUE already supports Pandora, Stitcher and provides an HTML5-based browser with full JavaScript support. The company also provided a video tour of its latest wonder, which you'll be able to see in greater detail after the break along with the press release.

CUE will debut in 2012 in the Cadillac XTS and ATS luxury sedans and SRX luxury crossover. CUE is designed to be unique for each consumer, from the "simple user" to the fully connected "super user."

"For the tech-savvy, it's everything you want it to be – a full suite of infotainment, navigation and communication tools that keeps you fully connected. For the tech-averse, its power is remarkably simple, intuitive and accessible," Butler said. CUE which stands for Cadillac User Experience, will pair entertainment and information data from up to 10 Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, USBs, SD cards and MP3 players with a vehicle infotainment system that reduces complexity through customized information, natural voice commands and fewer buttons and larger icons.

For example, most of today's luxury cars have around 20 buttons controlling the radio and entertainment functions. CUE reduces that to just four buttons.

"CUE doesn't replace your smartphone or your iPod™," said Micky Bly, executive director, Global Electric Systems, Infotainment and Electrification. "Rather it allows consumers to securely store those mobile devices and channeling the information on those devices, along with your navigation tools, weather maps with Doppler radar, AM/FM and XM radio, instant messages and emails, through a central portal in your Cadillac, keeping hands on the wheel and eyes on the road."

The heart of CUE is the 8-inch LCD touch screen, seamlessly integrated into the top of the central instrument panel and a motorized fully capacitive faceplate at the bottom concealing a 1.8L storage area. The vibrant LCD screen displays CUE's home page, which resembles a smart phone's screen by using large, easy-to-target icons to execute commands. Capacitive refers to using electrodes to sense the conductive properties of objects, such as a finger.

"CUE is a very elegant in-vehicle hub of all the information and entertainment in your life. All of CUE's controls use the same design vernacular to create a harmony unique to Cadillac," said Dave Lyon, executive director, Cadillac Interior Design. "Vibrant colors, a piano black face plate, precision-milled buttons, intuitive touch screen placement and sculpted front console provide a spacious, fashion-forward cabin."

To improve simplicity and connectivity for consumers, CUE will feature several auto Industry firsts:

Proximity Sensing: As the user's hand approaches the LCD screen, command icons appear. Icons can be customized and arranged by consumers to improve ease of use. Haptic Feedback: Buttons on the fully capacitive faceplate pulse when pressed to acknowledge the driver's commands and helps keep the driver's eyes on the road.

Linux operating system, "open" software platform and ARM 11 3-core processor, each operating at 400 million of instructions (mips) per second. This hardware setup offers 3.5 times more processing power than current infotainment systems, and allow developers to write applications to CUE that be downloaded by consumers.

"It's processing speed and power that make CUE so capable," said Bly.

Connectivity, Control, Convenience

CUE development began in 2008 when Cadillac designers rode with 32 consumers for six months to study driver habits. Engineers and designers then used the data to develop CUE. CUE's LCD screen features the driver's five most frequently used functions stored along the top of the screen. Along the bottom of the screen, users can select up to 60 favorites from music to points of interest, addresses, maps for weather or directions, phone numbers or system commands, such as "tag song."

Favorites can also be re-ordered and named to be easily recallable.

The steering wheel contains a five-way controller on the right side to navigate the cluster display, a volume control and buttons to cycle through favorites, while the five-way controller on the left side manages cruise control functions, voice recognition, phone hang-up and heated steering wheel. CUE's customization and control features are further enhanced through OnStar's suite of safety, security and connectivity services , such as Turn-by-Turn navigation, Automatic Crash Notification, hands-free calling and the OnStar RemoteLink mobile application.

Key OnStar features are available through CUE's LCD screen, gauge cluster and steering wheel controls.